1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to portable lighting device and more particularly to a lighting device that is adapted for attachment to writing instruments.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The idea of a pen lite has been in the public domain for some time. Extensive variations of the theme have been patented and marketed since batteries were small enough to fit into a tube that would fit into a shirt pocket. Pen lites have even reached the point where they are literally a pen with a built in light. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3.604.917 issued Sep. 14, 1971 to Schmidt describes a ballpoint pen with a power and light source in the same housing with the pen. On the other hand, U.S. Pat. No. 4,563,728 issued Jan. 7, 1986 to Bruggeman et al. discloses a pen light that is a pen sized housing with two batteries and a bulb that uses the pocket clip as a switch. In the patent to Kuch et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,737,894 issued Apr. 12, 1988 the inventors show a variation on the idea of a pen with a light by enlarging the point end to include a bulb and the butt end to include the battery. The bulb and the battery are connected by means of a wire connector. The U.S. Pat. No. 5,131,775, issued to Chen, dated Jul. 21, 1992 varies from other similar devices by using light emitting diodes around the pen point, however the batteries are in the rear end of the upper barrel member. The U.S. Pat. No. 5,193,897, issued to Halsey, on Mar. 16, 1993 is a combination pen and light pointer, where the barrel has a pen on one end and a light source on the other end. The batteries that power the light are in the end of the upper barrel member.
While the prior art seems to have a substantial supply of pen lites with and without pens, none has been found that is not an integral part of the pen. A self contained light that may by utilized with other cylindrical bodies is not known by Applicant to exist.